[You gave up] and [forgot the fact that] everyone dies with
the permission of God only in accordance with what is written for him [and also
forgot that] he who desires the reward of this world, We shall give to him in
it; and he who desires the reward of the life to come, We shall give to him
there and We will surely recompense those who are thankful to Me.1
(145)

[Try to understand these facts] and [remember] that there
came many a prophet alongside whom many godly people fought; so when they were
faced with hardships for the cause of God, they were not daunted nor did they
show weakness nor did they lay down their arms before the enemy;2
[they in fact remained steadfast in all circumstances] and God loves such
steadfast [people]. Their only prayer was: “Lord! Forgive our sins and the
excesses we committed in our affairs; make us firm of foot and help us against
the disbelievers.” Then God gave them the reward of this world, and also the
glorious recompense of the world to come; [These are the ones who do act with
goodness] and God likes those who act with goodness. (146-148)

Believers! If you obey these disbelievers, they will revert
you back and you will end up as losers.3
[It is not these people] but God Who will help you and His help is the best.
[You will see that] We will strike your awe in the hearts of these disbelievers
because they associated other deities besides God for whom He has revealed no
sanction. The Fire shall be their abode and what an evil abode is it for those
who have wronged their souls. (149-151)

God fulfilled His promise [of help] made with you when, by
His permission,4
you were putting them to the sword. But afterwards you yourselves showed
weakness and differed with each other in following the directive and disobeyed
[the Prophet] after you had seen what you wished for. [This is a reality that]
some among you preferred this world and some the next. [Consequently, after this
victory] God turned you away from them to test you5
[so that those who are after the pleasures of this world become distinct] and
the truth is that He still forgave you6
and God is gracious to the faithful. (152)

Remember when you were fleeing7
and were not even turning to look behind and the Prophet of God was calling you
[from behind you] in one of your groups [which was standing alongside him]; So
God inflicted you with one sorrow after another8
so that [after passing through this trial] you do not grieve [in future] on what
you lose and on any calamity which may befall you.9
And [remember that] God knows whatever you do. (153)

Then, after this sorrow, God let peace descend upon you in
the form of a sleep which overtook some of you, while others feared for their
lives.10
They became engaged in untrue thoughts of the age of ignorance about God.11
They were saying: “Have we any say in these matters?” Tell [them]: “All matters
are in the hands of God.” They conceal in their hearts what they do not reveal
to you. They say: “If we had any say in the matter, we would not have been slain
here like this.”12
Tell them: “Had you stayed back in your homes, those of you who were destined to
be killed would have gone to their places of death nevertheless [so once again
try to understand the fact that all this happened because God wanted to
distinguish you13]
and to test what is concealed in your chests and cleanse the evil of your hearts
and [in reality] God knows what is in the hearts.” (154)

Those of you who ran away on the day the two groups faced
each other,14
the reason for this mistake on their part was that because of the sins they had
committed Satan induced them to cowardice.15
[However,] God forgave them; indeed, God is forgiving and most gracious. (155)

Believers! Be not like these disbelievers who say16
of their relatives when they travel or go out for a battle [and are overcome by
death]: “Had they stayed with us, they would not have died, nor would they have
been killed.” This is because God will cause them to regret their words.17
[Otherwise in reality] it is God who ordains life and God who ordains death, and
whatever you do is in God’s sight. And [to add to this] if you are slain for the
cause of God or should die, His forgiveness and mercy you will secure will
indeed be far better than what they are amassing. And [also], if you should die
or be slain, before God shall you all be gathered come what may.18
(156-158)

It was thanks to God’s mercy19
that you are gentle to them [O Prophet]. Had you been ill-tempered and
hard-hearted all these would have surely deserted you. So ignore them and seek
forgiveness for them and consult them in affairs.20
Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in God21
because God loves only those who trust Him. [Believers!] If God helps you, none
can overcome you and if He abandons you, who then can help you? And believers
should only trust God.22
(159-160)

[They think that by going out of the city for this battle,
the Prophet ill-wished for them. Certainly not!] It is not in accordance with
the stature of any prophet to be an ill-wisher [and they should know that]
whoever wishes ill, shall be brought on the Day of Judgement with what he wished
ill for. Then shall every person be fully paid what he earned and none shall be
given less. Can he who seeks to please God will become like him who has incurred
His wrath and Hell is whose abode, and what an evil abode it is? Different will
be their status with God. And Allah is watching over whatever they are doing.23
In reality, God has been very gracious to the believers in sending them a
Messenger24
from amongst themselves who recites out His revelations before them and purifies
them,25
and for this instructs them in the law and in wisdom.26
And there is no doubt that before this they were in open error.27
(161-164)

And [yes] when a calamity struck you after you yourselves
had [earlier] inflicted [them with] losses twice as heavy, did you cry out:
“Where has this come from?”28
[Tell them O Prophet!]: “It was because of you yourself that it came.”29
[If God grants victory, He also inflicts defeat as per His wisdom] because God
has power over all things. And [moreover] the disaster which befell you when the
two armies met was ordained by God, and befell so that He might see who the true
believers are and also those who had adopted hypocrisy [from the beginning] and
they were told: “Come, fight for the cause of God and at least defend [your
city],” they replied: “If we knew that a battle is going to take place, we would
surely come with you.” On that day, they were closer to disbelief than belief.
They were uttering words from their mouths which were not in their hearts: and
God fully knew what they were concealing. These who kept sitting and said of
their brothers [who had gone out to fight]: “Had they listened to us, they would
not have been slain [in this manner].”30
Tell them: “Ward off your death, then, if what you say be true!” (165-168)

[Do not pay heed to these things, O Prophet!] and whoever
have been slain [during this war] should never be regarded as dead. [They are
not dead], in fact, they are alive in the presence of God and are well provided
for; pleased with His blessings and hearing glad tidings about those they left
behind that [in this eternal kingdom of God] neither is there any fear for them
nor will they ever be sorrowful, rejoicing in the favours and blessings of God
and [rejoicing] that God will never waste the reward of the believers31
– the reward of those who even after being inflicted with loss answered the call
of God.32
Those among them who were thorough in their deeds and feared God33
shall be richly recompensed. They are those who, on being told: “Your enemies
have mustered a great force against you: fear it,” grew more in their faith on
hearing this and replied: “God’s all-sufficient for us, and He is the best
protector.”34
Thus did they return [from this campaign] with God’s grace and bounty, no harm
befell them and they sought God’s pleasure, and [in reality] God’s bounty is
infinite. [Now it is obvious to you that] it is Satan who had been threatening
you to fear his companions.35
So have no fear of them. Fear Me if you are true believers. (169-175)

And [O Prophet!] Let not these people who [at this time]
are fervent in their disbelief become a means of sorrow for you. They shall not
the least be able to harm God. God intends to give them no share in the
Hereafter. [They are criminals] and a grievous punishment awaits them [there].
It is a reality that whoever has bartered their faith for disbelief will in no
way be able to harm God and for them [He] has prepared a woeful punishment. Let
not these disbelievers think that the respite We are giving them is for their
own good. [They should know that] We are giving them this respite only so that
they may add to their sins. [After that, they have to come to Us] and [there] a
very humiliating punishment awaits them. (176-178)

[The trial they faced at the time of this battle is not
being understood by them. Tell them that] God will not leave the Muslims without
separating the pure from the impure the way you were in this state36
nor is it God’s way to reveal to you what is hidden [so that after knowing the
situation of their hearts you can distinguish them]. But God’s [way is that for
this He] chooses those of messengers whom He will [and then through them creates
such trials as distinguish the pure from the impure]. For this reason, have
faith in God and His messengers and [know that] if you profess faith and piety,
you shall be richly rewarded. (179)

Never should those [among them] who show stinginess in the
wealth which God alone has bestowed to them out of His bounty think it is good
for them: indeed it is an evil thing for them. [They should know that] the
riches they have been stingy about shall become their iron-collars on the Day of
Judgement, and [it should be known that] to God belongs the inheritance of the
heavens and the earth and God is aware of whatever you do.37
God has heard the words of those who said: “God is poor, but we are rich.”38
These words of theirs We shall record39
and also their slaying of the prophets unjustly We have written down and [on the
Day of Judgement] We will tell them: “Taste now the torment of the Fire. This is
what you have earned from your hands and God is not unjust to His servants in
the slightest of ways.” (180-182)

These people who declared: “God has directed us to believe
in a messenger only when a fire [from heavens] consume an offering made by him.”
[Tell them:] “Other messengers before me have come to you with veritable signs
and also the sign you are demanding. So why did you slay them, if what you say
be true?” 40

So, O Prophet! If they reject you [this is no matter of
amazement] many messengers have been rejected [in this manner] before you who
came with veritable signs, scriptures and a radiant book.41
[Wait O Prophet! and let them wait as well!] Every soul has to taste death and
you shall receive your full reward only on the Day of Resurrection. Then whoever
is spared from Hell and is admitted to Paradise is truly successful and the life
of this world is nothing but a deceptive deal. (183-185)

[Believers!] You shall be surely tried in the matter of
your possessions and your persons, and you will have to hear many painful things
by the People of the Book before you and by those have committed polytheism.42
[So be prepared] and [remember that] if you persevere and are God-conscious,
[God will help you] because these are the things which have been regarded as
essential [for this]. And to those who were given the Book remind them also of
their pledge which God took from them: “you will necessarily recite out this
Book before people and will not conceal it.” Then they cast the Book over their
backs43
and sold it for a paltry price. So how evil is what they bought. Do not think
that those who rejoice in their misdeeds and wish to be praised for what they
have not done will escape the torment.44
And [you should know that] a woeful punishment is ready for them and [they
cannot run away from it anywhere because] God has sovereignty over the heavens
and the earth and God has power over all things. (186-189)

45
[45[They are bereft of intellect and that is why demand a sign to
believe in the Prophet; otherwise] in reality, in the creation of the heavens
and the earth and in the alternation of night and day, there are signs for men
of vision; those who remember God in all states whether standing, sitting, and
lying down, and keep reflecting on the creation of the heavens and the earth.46
[Their prayer is:] “Lord! You have not created all this without a purpose. You
are exalted that You cannot do anything which is purposeless; so, save us from
the torment of the Fire. Lord! He whom You cast into the Fire You in reality put
him to great humiliation and [it is a place where] none will help the
evil-doers.47
Lord! We have heard a caller calling to faith that: ‘Believe in your Lord,’ and
we believed.48
So Lord! Forgive our sins and avert from us our evil deeds and make us die with
[Your] faithful. Lord! Fulfill what You promised us through Your prophets,49
and do not humiliate us on the Day of Judgement. Indeed! You never break Your
promise.”50
(190-194)

So their Lord answered their prayer [in this manner]:51
“I will not waste the deeds of any man or woman among you.52
You are the offspring of one another.”53
Thus those who migrated and were expelled from their homes and suffered
persecution for My sake and fought [for My cause] and were slain, I shall drive
away their sins from them and admit them to gardens below which streams flow.
This is a recompense from God and the best recompense is with God.54
(195)

Do not [O Prophet!] be deceived by the fortunes55
of these disbelievers in the cities of this land. This is brief prosperity;56
then Hell shall be their abode and what an evil abode is it? As for those who
fear their Lord, for them are gardens below which streams flow; they will abide
in them forever; this for them is the first feast57
from God and whatever God has with Him is much better for those sincere to Him.
(196-198)

And [there exist such sincere people even among the People
of the Book]. No doubt among the People of the Book are those who truly believe
in God, and in that [Book] which has been revealed to you and in what was
revealed to them [earlier], while fearing God. They do not sell God’s
revelations for a paltry price. Their reward lies with their Lord. [Soon it will
be given to them] because swift is God’s reckoning. (199)

Believers! [The final victory shall be yours; however, for
this it is essential that you remain] patient and show valour against your
opponents, are ready for be prepared for a battle and [in all affairs] be
God-conscious so that you may succeed. (200)

Lahore

5th March, 2006

_________________

1. Here the attention of the
addressees is directed at those weaknesses because of which they were
estimating things about God and His prophet that are mentioned here. Amongst
these, two things are specifically highlighted. Firstly, they did not
believe that the time of each person’s death is pre-determined; neither can
a person bring it earlier nor can he delay his death by a second when the
time arrives. Secondly, the purpose of all their endeavours was this worldly
life; they did not have the ability to look beyond their worldly interests;
hence they were not convinced that the deprivations of this world will be
compensated in the Hereafter, and what people are losing here will in fact
be fully recompensed for their sacrifice there.

2. In order to portray this
meaning, the Arabic words used are وَهنٌ ، ضُعْفٌ
and إِسْتِكَانَةٌ.
Though all of them commonly mean “weakness”, however, there exists a subtle
difference between them. Imān Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, while explaining this
difference writes:

… وَهنٌ refers to the weakness
which is produced in a person because of fear for death and love for life.
The barrier which occurs as a result of this between intention and practice
is called ضُعْفٌ. From
this ضُعْفٌ, the
consequence of submitting to the enemy is called
إِسْتِكَانَةٌ. (Amīn Ahsan
Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore:
Faran Foundation, 1986), 187)

The
implication of the verse is that encountering the enemy in a battle and as a
result of this facing trials and hardships is not a rare issue as regards
the Prophet of God that people should become disheartened. Such hardships
have been borne by previous prophets as well. The battles fought by David (sws),
Solomon (sws) and Moses (sws) are mentioned in the Bible at a number of
places. Such battles are an essential part of the divine law of trials, and
a true believer should not become anxious on this situation.

3. This is a reference to the
propaganda which was spread amongst the Muslims after they suffered losses
in the battle of Uhud and from which the leaders of the disbelievers of
Makkah tried to convince people that if Muhammad had been sent by God, he
would never have suffered this loss. They would tell people that this
conflict was primarily based on resources and strategy: once the Muslims won
and this time, they have lost. Divine help has nothing to do with this whole
affair.

4. The Qur’ānic word used is بِإِذْنِهِ. The purpose
is to show that the extraordinary consequence of the battle in the first
phase was not the result of any planning or strategy of the Muslims: it was
because of God’s power and intention.

5. This is a reference to the
trial Muslims faced at the time of Uhud. Imān Amīn Ahsan Islāhī writes:

… all the
authorities of history are unanimous that the initial onslaught of the
Muslims in this battle was very successful. They had prevailed upon the
enemy. However, one group of combatants which was deputed at a mountain pass
and which had been directed by the Prophet (sws) to not leave their place
come what may, deserted their place before time to grab a share in the war
booty. Very few from this group remained stationed at their place. A
battalion of the enemy took advantage of this situation and with a concerted
effort attacked the Muslims from the rear. So successful was this attack
that Muslims lost their senses. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī,
Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran
Foundation, 1986), 193)

6. The implication is that such
was the nature of the mistake committed by the Muslims that they should have
been punished; however, it is God’s grace that He forgave them and instead
of leaving them at the mercy of the enemy gave them the opportunity to
return to their homes after merely making them pass through a trial.

7. The Qur’ānic word used is إِصْعَاد. It means to
advance towards an incline. From this very meaning has emerged the idiom
أَصْعَدَ فِي العَدُو in
which the meaning of running face-wards in a certain direction has been
incorporated in the word.

8. The Qur’ānic words used are غَمَّاً بِغَمٍّ. The
ب here stands for
talabbus (attachment): first the sorrow of defeat came their way and then
another sorrow that was attached to it came upon them. While explaining this
second sorrow, Imān Amīn Ahsan Islāhī writes:

… in my
opinion, this refers to the sorrow which the Muslims faced during this time
from the rumour spread by the disbelievers about the Prophet’s martyrdom.
This rumour is mentioned in history and biography books and this verse of
the Qur’ān is also indicative of it: Muslims were running amok in such a
manner that they were not even aware of what was happening around them and
who was calling and who was called for; so much so, they did not even pay
attention to the Messenger who was continuously calling them towards himself
from their rear. After that comes a ف
which occurs in Arabic to state a consequence, after which the consequence
is stated. It is evident that this sorrow must relate to the person of the
Prophet (sws) so that they are warned on their lack of honouring and valuing
him. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed.,
vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), 193).

9. The implication is that after
passing through such trials and tribulations it will become evident upon
them that this world is not the real place of success and failure; it is a
place of test; hence every calamity that takes place in it must be viewed
from this aspect. If this is kept in consideration, it is hoped that such
calamities will never frustrate and disappoint them to the extent that
shakes and breaks a person’s determination and will. This attitude will also
produce perseverance in them.

10. The implication of this verse
is that even though the enemy had gone, yet, as is evident from some
narratives, because of fear and cowardice, they thought that they were
expecting them to hit back on them any time.

11. The Qur’ānic words are:
يَظُنُّونَ بِاللّهِ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ ظَنَّ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ.
The words ظَنَّ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ
are actually explaining غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ.
The purpose is to tell them that the reason for their cowardice is that
their manner of thinking is still the same as they had in the times of the
age of ignorance before they had embraced faith.

12. They were of the opinion that
had the Prophet (sws) not imposed his decision in a dictatorial manner and
had followed the suggestion of fighting the enemy from within the city of
Madīnah, this sorry situation would not have arisen.

13. The
وَ (waw) in the Qur’ānic words وَلِيَبْتَلِيَ اللّهُ مَا فِي صُدُورِكُمْ indicates that all this is implied here yet not stated in
words.

14. This refers to the day in the
battle of Uhud when certain weak Muslims were influenced by the mischief of
‘Abdullāh ibn Ubayy and his compatriots.

15. Here the Qur’ān has clarified
that it was because of their previous mistakes that Satan was successful in
misleading them. Imān Amīn Ahsan Islāhī writes:

… from sin
emanates sin, and the onslaughts of Satan are more successful against those
in whom sins have roots. For this reason, it is essential that when a person
commits a sin, he should not continue to harbour it; in fact, he should
cleanse himself of it by asking for God’s forgiveness and by sincerely
repenting on it. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i
Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran Foundation,
1986), 197).

16. The Qur’ānic words uses are: قَالُواْ لإِخْوَانِهِمْ.
The ل used here is in
the same meaning as in the following verse of Sūah Ahqāf: وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا.

17. And in this manner, He
punished them in this very world for their false notion that they can defer
death through their strategies.

18. The attitude which this verse
urges one to adopt, in the words of Imān Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, is:

… this
verse does not call for intrepidity; it only informs people of the reality
that shirking responsibility is no strategy to save life. The correct
approach is that a person should try to discharge the obligation with full
determination as soon as it is imposed on him, and have the conviction that
death will come at its appointed time, and also have the conviction that
being slain while discharging an obligation is far better than all the
treasures of this life that one can amass. (Amīn
Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore:
Faran Foundation, 1986), 207).

19. The Qur’ānic words used are: فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّهِ.
The letter مَا in them
is to maintain the rhyme and rhythm of the sentence.

20. The criticism done earlier on
the Hypocrites could have led the Prophet (sws) and his companions to harden
their attitude towards them. The Almighty did not approve of this attitude
in this phase of his mission. So the Prophet (sws) is affectionately told
that the gracious demeanour he had adopted in their case in the past was the
right way to deal with them and now also he should adhere to this mannerism
so that those among them who have the slightest ability to reform themselves
are provided with this opportunity. A further directive given to him is that
he should keep consulting the Hypocrites in the affairs of state because the
time has not come to sever them from the Muslims. They still have time.
Until the decree of God arrives about them, their social rights should be
honoured the way they were in the past.

The
context of this directive is specific as is evident from this explanation.
However, it can be inferred from it that in normal circumstances it is
desirable that those who are in authority should be gentle, forgiving and
gracious. Imān Amīn Ahsan Islāhī writes:

… it is
this attitude which engenders confidence and a positive approach in people.
As a result of these traits, the collective system is blessed with unity,
strength and stability. Sternness and harshness are not the rules of this
system; rather they are exceptions to the rule. Just as the real thing for
health is food but for the purpose of treating an ailment at times
administering medicine is necessary, similarly, in a collective system, the
real thing is gentleness; harshness should only be resorted to sparingly
when it is utterly required. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī,
Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran
Foundation, 1986), 210).

21. The implication is that once
the Prophet (sws) reaches a decision after consulting the Hypocrites, he
should not care who among them supports him and who not. Whether he accepts
their suggestions or not, in both cases, they can desert him in the most
precarious of situations. He should not worry about them; God and the true
believers are enough for him.

22. ie the real thing is trusting
God. It is an essential requirement of faith. For a true believer, means and
resources are always secondary.

23. This is a negation of the
allegation made by the Hypocrites on the Prophet (sws) after the battle of
Uhud, and through it tried to spread frustration and distrust among the
Muslims. Imān Amīn Ahsan Islāhī writes:

… the
allegation was that the very person they trusted and on to whom they had
pledged a covenant has become the master of good and evil; he is abusing
their trust in him and destroying them as well as their property and wealth
while pursuing his personal desires and ambitions. They further alleged that
they had clearly suggested to him to fight the enemy while remaining in the
city but he neither listened to their advice nor did value the lives of
their brothers and by taking them out to an inappropriate place had them
slain by the enemies; this is a clear evidence of his treachery and
insincerity for the people and shows that he is not their well-wisher at
all. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed.,
vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), 211).

24. It is a great favour of the
Almighty that He raised a messenger from amongst them so that any element of
unfamiliarity between him and themselves could not become any hindrance
between them and they are able to recognize and hear his voice as the voice
of their own conscience.

25. Expressed here is another
aspect of this great favour: the message that is being presented through him
is meant to purify their individual and collective lives. What greater a
counsel and advice in their favour could there be than this? The Arabic word
used by the Qur’ān to convey this meaning is tazkiyah. It means both to
cleanse something of filth and to develop and nurture it. The law and wisdom
with which prophets of God instruct mankind achieve both these objectives.

26. The Qur’ānic words used are: يُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ.
Just as the word الْكِتَابَ
is used in Arabic for a book or a letter, it is also used to denote law. It
is evident from parallel verses of the Qur’ān that when the word الْكِتَابَ occurs in this
manner in conjugation with الْحِكْمَة,
the former refers to the sharī‘ah and the latter refers to issues of faith
and morality.

27. This is the third aspect of
the favour: people to whom the Prophet (sws) was sent were wandering in
error; however, the Almighty looked upon them with favour and took them out
from error and put them on the right course.

To convey
this meaning, the Qur’ānic words used are:وَإِنْ
كَانُواْ مِن قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلالٍ مُّبِينٍ. Here
إِنْ is actually إِنَّ as evidenced by the
existence of ل.

28. This objection was raised by
people who wrongly thought that the messengers of God are in His protection
and angels help them in all instances; so how can it be imagined that he
and his companions be inflicted with losses in a battle? People who held
this opinion were very disturbed at the losses incurred by the Muslims in
the battle of Uhud. Various doubts arose in their minds regarding the
veracity of the Prophet (sws). So the Hypocrites took advantage of this
mental state of theirs and began presenting this loss as evidence against
him. The Qur’ān in this verse and in the subsequent one has removed this
misconception, and stated the wisdom behind this trial.

29. This is a reference to the
mistake committed in the battle of Uhud by the group which had been deputed
to protect the pass. They disobeyed the Prophet’s directive and in their
greed for war booty left their place. As a result, Muslims faced the
calamity which these verses mention.

30. Here the Qur’ān has cited two
conversations – one that took place before the battle and the other after it
– of the Hypocrites and in this manner provided a mirror in which their
characters can be seen.

31. A deliberation on these verses
shows that through them the Qur’ān has very eloquently erased the effects
which the Hypocrites wanted to produce in the Muslims, particularly among
those who had been bereaved by the martyrdom of their near ones.

32. This is a mention of the
campaign launched at the behest of God and His Messenger to chase the enemy.
Imān Amīn Ahsan Islāhī writes:

… it is
mentioned in books of history and biographies that after the defeat of
Muslims in the battle of Uhud, the army of the Quraysh initially returned.
However, once they reached the place of Rawhā’, Abū Sufyān and his
companions thought that they had committed a great mistake in turning back
so early; they should have totally routed the city of Madīnah too. At this,
they, on the one hand, re-organized their army, and, on the other, spread
the news among the Muslims through the Hypocrites that they, the Quraysh,
will launch another attack on the Muslims with new arsenals and armoury.
When the Prophet (sws) came to know of this, he asked people to prepare to
go in pursuit of the enemy. Only those people were allowed in this army who
had participated in the first day’s battle. This caution was exercised
perhaps to shield the stains of the Hypocrites from this battle. Thus the
Prophet (sws) went in pursuit of Abū Sufyān with some devoted Companions and
went as far as Hamrā’ al-Asad which is eight miles from Madīnah. When Abū
Sufyān saw that the grit and courage of the Muslims was unchanged, he
changed his intention and Muslims successfully returned. (See: Al-Tabarī,
Tāīkh al-umam wa al-mulūk, vol. 2, 74; Ibn al-Athīr, Al-Kāmil fī al-tārīkh,
vol. 2, 52; Ibn Hishām, Al-Sīrah al-nabawiyyah, vol. 3, 44). (Amīn
Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore:
Faran Foundation, 1986), 216).

33. The Qur’ānic words used are: لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُواْ مِنْهُمْ وَاتَّقَواْ.
The word إِحْسَان (ihsān)
here means to fulfil one’s obligation towards God and His Messenger in the
best possible way and the wordتَقْوى (taqwā) means to protect oneself from all traces of
hypocrisy.

34. Obviously, this too was said
to scare the Muslims; however, their determination did not waver. Imān Amīn
Ahsan Islāhī writes:

… instead of striking fear in
them, this news in fact strengthened their resolve and faith. It is a
principle that the stronger the canals which water a well, the greater they
swell and supply water the more it is taken out from them; similarly, if a
fire is fierce, even wet logs consumed by it are enflamed even more. Similar
is the case with people of resolve and faith; impediments, instead of
weakening them, strengthen their grit and resolve even more. Every trial,
polishes their hidden talents and every test opens up a new front of victory
for them. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī,
Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran
Foundation, 1986), 217).

35. By the companions of Satan are
obviously meant the Quraysh and their allies and supporters.

36. This is because without this
the decision of rewarding and punishing them in this world, once the truth
had been conclusively conveyed to them by the Prophet (sws), could not have
been made. For such a judgement to take place, it was a requirement of
justice that first people be separated from one another on the basis of
their faith and deeds.

37. This is stated here because
just as the Hypocrites would evade laying down their lives, they would
similarly have an evasive attitude regarding wealth, and would never be
prepared to spend anything for the cause of God.

38. This is a mention of how the
Hypocrites would ridicule the calls of the Qur’ān to spend for the cause of
God. When the Qur’ān would ask them to lend money to God, they would make
fun of this by saying that God is very poor these days and thus asking for
money from these rich people.

39. The Qur’ānic words used are:
سَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَالُواْ.
This is a very subtle admonition. Imān Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, while explaining
its subtlety, writes:

… Those
who are aware of the art of eloquence very well know that our limited power
of expression can in no way fully express the anger and wrath hidden in
these words. Even more subtle is the fact that the expression وَقَتْلَهُمُ الأَنبِيَاء بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ (and their slaying of the prophets unjustly) was
co-ordinated to it implying that God is also recording their unjust killings
of the prophets. Obviously, it was the Jews who were guilty of this crime.
Mentioning a statement of the Hypocrites together with an act of the Jews in
a single category in this manner and using the same pronoun for both bears
witness to two things: after saying such a grave thing these Hypocrites have
once again entered the fraternity of the Jews which they had earlier left to
put up a false display of being Muslims. Secondly, this making fun of the
Hypocrites and this practice of the Jews are such grave crimes that God will
never forget them; He too will one day tell them: taste this punishment of
God. The punishment would be commensurate with their deeds because God is
not unjust in anyway to His people. (Amīn Ahsan
Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore:
Faran Foundation, 1986), 219.

40. Earlier on, with a mention of the Hypocrites the matter of
the Jews was brought up. Hence, one of their pranks is cited here and they
too are refuted. Imān Amīn Ahsan Islāhī writes:

The prank
of the Jews alluded to is that in order to silence the Muslims they would
say that they had been directed by God to not believe in any person’s claim
to prophethood until he works a certain miracle; as per this miracle, he
should make an offering of an animal which should be consumed by a fire that
descends from the heavens to indicate that it had been accepted. The Jews
would say only this as a prank. It is mentioned in the Torah that certain
prophets worked this miracle. For example in Kings (18:37-38), it is
attributed to the Prophet Elia (sws) and in History (7:1), it is attributed
to the Prophet Solomon (sws); however, at no place is it stated that this
miracle is a pre-requisite or corollary of prophethood and unless a prophet
works this miracle his claim to prophethood will not even be considered. In
particular, in the case of the last prophet the predictions found in their
scriptures are absolutely devoid of such stipulations. (Amīn
Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore:
Faran Foundation, 1986), 220.

The word
bayyināt means “clear and obvious”. This word generally qualifies the signs
of God. Wherever this word is mentioned in the Qur’ān without qualifying a
noun, it is used in two meanings: clear and silencing arguments or miracles
that can be felt by the senses.

The word
zubr is the plural of zabūr. It means “a piece, portion and scripture.” It
is very commonly used for the Psalms of David. Here it refers to those
scriptures of the prophets which are included in the Bible.

The words
kitāb-i munīr refer to the Torah. In the books which were revealed before
the Qur’ān, it is only the Torah which can be referred to by this
expression. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān,
2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986),
221)

42. This is a reference to those
tests and trials that are necessarily faced by the Companions of the Prophet
(sws) through his adversaries in order to isolate and demarcate the latter
before the divine punishment descends on them.

43.
The implication is that they do remember that certain prophets did make such
an offering which was consumed by a heavenly fire but they do not remember
what they had pledged with the Almighty when they were receiving the Book
from Him. They should be reminded that this pledge is even now found in
their Books. Thus, it is written in Deuteronomy:

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on
your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children,
talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road,
when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your
houses and on your gates. (11:18-20)

Similarly, in the Gospels too, this is written in very effective styles.
The words in Matthew are:

What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in
your ear, proclaim from the roofs. (10:27)

44.
That is even after cheaply selling the covenant of God to gain personal
objectives they desire that they be called the People of the Book and
regarded as the chosen ummah of God and considered the sole worthy
recipients of God’s favours and gifts – both in this world and in the next.

45.
The last section of the sūrah ends here. From here onwards begin its closing
verses.

46. It is evident from this that men of vision and intellect are those who,
while reflecting on this world, are led to keep God and the Hereafter in
remembrance and under reflection. It is further evident from this that
remembering God is required at all times and just as this remembrance,
reflection and deliberation are also required because through reflection
does one have conviction of the Hereafter. In its absence, remembering God
becomes a mere exercise of the tongue; it has no status beyond this.

47.
With great eloquence, the Qur’ān has explained in these verses how the true
men of vision and intellect when they remember God and deliberate on the
creation of the heavens and the earth are led to the right conclusion. Imām
Amīn Ahsan Islāhī writes:

… this remembrance and reflection itself leads him to the conclusion that
this great Universe cannot be purposeless, and when this is not so it is
essential that it should not end just like this; it is essential that a day
come when the righteous and the wrong-doers both are rewarded and punished
respectively for their deeds and in this way the immense wisdom that is
concealed in the creation of this world manifest itself.

Only a brief allusion is made here to the signs found in the creation of
the heavens and the earth and in the alternation of day and night. The
details are spread in the whole corpus of the Qur’ān. With great detail, the
Qur’ān has elaborated upon those signs in this universe which bear witness
that not only is there great authority behind this universe, but also great
wisdom; there is not only immense power but also unfathomable mercy and
affection; there is not only enormous diversity, there is also amazing
harmony and poise. This shows that the creation of this world is not a
chance happening nor a place of amusement for a merry maker; it is in fact
created by a powerful and wise, authoritative and merciful, all-knowing and
all-hearing being. Hence it is against His nature that this world go on and
end without any distinction being made in dealing between good and evil and
virtue and vice. If this happens, it will mean that either this world has no
Creator or Master; it has been created of its own accord and will continue
in this manner or its Creator has made it for His amusement and is watching
a show by making some rich and some poor, some oppressors and others
oppressed. Obviously, both these postulates are against God’s power and
wisdom – power and wisdom to which every nook and corner of this universe
bears witness. It is absolutely against the majesty of knowledge and wisdom
of such a knowledgeable and wise being that He do something imprudent.

A person who in this manner reflects on the power and wisdom behind this
universe himself automatically reaches not only to an acknowledgement of God
but also to an acknowledgement of the Hereafter. And obviously, a person
whose mind makes this journey will tremble with fear at the conception of
reward and punishment and he will have a great urge to seek refuge with God
from the torment and humiliation ordained for people who regarded this
universe to be a place of amusement and in this manner spent all their lives
in defiance. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed.,
vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), 227).

If one deliberates on the last sentence of this verse, one comes to the
conclusion that it has been very clearly set out in it that on the Day of
Judgement, humiliation is ordained for those who are relying on false
intercessions. Thus it was said that on that day they will have no
supporters and helpers.

48.
ie., we did not demand miracles nor did we press on silly arguments and in
fact the mere person of the prophet was no less than a miracle in our eyes;
so when we saw that this call of professing faith in God and the Hereafter
is the call of our own hearts and our inner self bears witness to it and
knowledge and intellect also demand it, we accepted it without any
hesitation.

49.
The Qur’ānic words used are مَا وَعَدتَّنَا عَلَى
رُسُلِكَ . Here, as per linguistic principles, the mudāf has been
suppressed ie عَلَى سُنَّةِ رُسُلِكَ.

50.
Instead of showing vanity on their faith, these men of vision here are seen
submitting before their Lord in utter humility. They are imploring Him to
forgive their sins and ease out for them the way they tread for His cause
just as He has granted them the urge to accept the truth.

51.
This, in very subtle words, is an expression of acceptance of the prayer. It
is as if it was answered by God as soon as it was uttered.

52.
This is an encouragement to all the believers who passed through the phases
of migration and jihād for the cause of God and suffered horrific
persecution at the hands of the opponents of Islam. Women have been
specially mentioned here because the persecution and oppression women of
those times were inflicted with will cause our hairs to rise on end even
today. Imām Amīn Ahsan Islāhī writes:

… these words bring the discourse in line with the actual situation. Who
else could have known that these two words would have assured the oppressed
women who suffered many wrongs and injustices merely because they had
embraced Islam. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd
ed., vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), 231).

53.
Here the reason because of which the deeds of men and women are equal in
status in the eyes of the Almighty is cited. A little deliberation will show
that through this the Qur’an has refuted all those views of the age of
ignorance which regarded women to be inferior to men.

54.
The Qur’ānic words used are ثَوَابًا مِّن عِندِ اللّهِ.
The word ثَوَابًا is a verbal noun and refers to
the consequence which is received in response to an action by its doer. Imām
Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, while explaining its subtlety, writes:

… by calling the everlasting rewards which the Almighty will award the
believers for their trivial deeds as thawāb, the
Almighty has elevated the value of the deeds of people otherwise what is the
relation between a speck and a mountain? The words ِّمن
عِندِ اللّهِ وَاللّهُ عِندَهُ حُسْنُ الثَّوَابِ actually dispense
with this distance. Though this is a recompense of their own deeds yet it is
from God Who has treasures of rewards with Him. His great generosity induces
Him give to whomsoever He wants to and everything is found in great numbers
and quantity with Him. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i
Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), 231).

55.
The Qur’ānic word used is تَقَلُّبُ. This refers
to the freedom and liberty and to the relative dominance and power the
disbelievers had in contrast to the Muslims at that time in Arabia.

56.
The Qur’ānic words used are مَتَاعٌ قَلِيلٌ. They
form an enunciative (khabr) whose inchoative (mubtadā’) is suppressed here
so that all attention is focused on the enunciative.

57.
The Qur’ānic word used is نُزُلاً. It is an
accusative of state. It refers to the very first feast and banquet thrown
for a guest. What is implied here is that what is going to be presented to
them as their very first feast is such gardens; they can well imagine from
this what they will be given later.